Voldemort's Amnesia
by Jewel Little Bird
Summary: Sequel to The Mirror of Erised. Snape and Black are sent to America to Fleur De'Lacour to search for the only survivor of the Harry/Voldemort battle. Rating for voilence in later chapters.
1. Chapter One

First things first. This story is the sequel (or more precisely, continuation) to my first Harry Potter fanfic, "The Mirror of Erised." You don't have to, but it would be best to read that first. I know it says 31 chapters, but it's not really any more than 40 pages of 12 point Times New Roman. A novelette at the most.  
  
Second, none of J. K. Rowling's characters belong to me. They never have, they never will. Nicole Takewitha and Lily De'Lacour are most DEFINITELY mine. [snickers] Actually, Nicole Takewitha is my best friend.  
  
Third, the story takes place mostly in Haverhill, MA. Fleur's apartment is based on my friend Morgan's apartment, and the Haverhill Public Library really does exist. I never lived in Haverhill, only close by, so forgive me if I get something wrong. The preschool in Methuen, by the way, is based on the nursery school at Presentation of Mary Academy in (surprise!) Methuen, MA. Again, forgive me if I get something wrong; it was June 2002 when I last saw the place, and it was February 1998 when I last saw the inside of the preschool.  
  
Yeesh. Nearly two decades of life already. I feel old..  
  
Voldemort's Amnesia Jewel Little Bird Chapter One  
  
Evil laughter. Screams of pain. A bang. A flash of green light. Pain. Whirling colors. Sounds of people gasping in shock. Bright lights. Monitor beeps. Muttering. Then complete silence. Black vision. A floating sensation.  
  
Who am I? He thought.  
  
Awareness was coming back. He hurt. Everywhere he hurt. He couldn't move his left arm; something prevented that. A cast, maybe? Someone was walking down a nearby hallway. Someone else snored slightly in deep sleep.  
  
Who am I? Where am I?  
  
He opened his eyes. White. There was a lot of white. It nearly blinded him. He blinked until his eyes adjusted. Everything was a bit fuzzy, as if seen through thin gauze. He looked around. His arm was in a cast; that's why he couldn't move it. The bed next to his held the sleeping person. There were curtains attached to the ceiling so that they could be pulled aside to give them both some privacy.  
  
He was in a hospital.  
  
Someone came into the room. A nurse, from the uniform. She smiled when she saw him looking at her. "Ah! Finally, you're awake, Tom!" She had a funny accent.  
  
"Tom?" he asked, trying to sit up. "Is that my name?"  
  
"It's on this library card," she said, holding it out. "Diagon Public Library in London, England. You're a long way from home. Welcome to Haverhill, Massachusetts."  
  
He took the card from her with his right hand. "This is mine?"  
  
"It was in your pocket."  
  
Tom Marvolo Riddle. Diagon Public Library. London, England. It didn't seem right; he saw why. The card had expired almost fifty years ago. He didn't feel fifty. Maybe it belonged to his father. whoever that was. Still, at least he knew what to call himself. "Tom. I'm Tom Marvolo Riddle."  
  
The nurse nodded. "That's right." She looked at her clipboard. "By the way, it appears that when you were hit by that car, you lost you memory. The doctor thinks it is temporary, so you should just go ahead and try to remember everything you can."  
  
"Ah. I was wondering."  
  
"This is why we'll not be able to ask you the questions we wish to."  
  
"Questions?"  
  
"You eyes, for example. Have the pupils of your eyes always been slit, like a snake's? Don't answer, you probably don't remember."  
  
"You're right, I don't remember." He sighed. "I suppose I will just have to wait until I do remember who and what I am."  
  
The greatest wizard that ever lived.  
  
He frowned. Wizard? Wizards were creatures of fantasy.  
  
@  
  
Lily De'Lacour skidded her feet in the dirt so that the swing stopped its backward and forward motion. She was the only one who did so. All the other children were too busy playing.  
  
On the paved driveway in front of the highschool extension (reserved for art classes and French classes for the highschool girls) stood a man. He was dressed in a black leather jacket, a black turtleneck, black pants, and black leather boots. His shoulder-length black hair was black, too. It made his face look paler than it really was. Lily was sure he was magic, just like her mama.  
  
He was looking at each child that played on the swing set and jungle gym. Finally, his eyes met hers. He did not look away, nor did she. She got the impression that he recognized her. That couldn't be right; she'd never seen him in her three short years of life.  
  
As suddenly as he appeared, he disappeared, leaving her staring at the empty drive.  
  
She turned her attention to swinging again. She loved to swing. It was the only time she was not scared of heights.  
  
Bobby, who was on the swing next to hers, jumped off and ran happily to the gate. His daddy stood there, laughing. Sister Jackie opened the gate and let Bobby through. Bobby squealed with joy as his daddy picked him up and hugged him.  
  
Lily stopped swinging again and put her middle finger and ring finger in her mouth and sucked on them. Her mama told her not to do that, it'd make her teeth grow crooked, but Lily did it because it was comforting. She felt jealous, though she did not know it. Everyone in the preschool had a daddy except Lily. Why was that? Lily wanted a daddy. She wanted someone to hug and cuddle when her mama was busy. She didn't think Aunt Nicole counted.  
  
Lily smiled and took her fingers from her mouth as a familiar truck drove up. Sure enough, the door opened and revealed Aunt Nicole and Mama.  
  
Lily was proud of her mama. Fleur De'Lacour was the prettiest lady she'd ever seen. A lot of men seemed to think so, too; they always turned to look and stare as Fleur walked by. Some even sent wolf whistles her way, though Lily suspected Fleur didn't like that; the men that did whistle ended up bent over and coughing after Fleur muttered something.  
  
"Hey, Lily!" Aunt Nicole shouted with a wave.  
  
"Aunt Nicole! Mama!" Lily bounced off her swing and ran towards them. Sister Jackie beamed at them.  
  
"Why, hello, Ms. De'Lacour, Ms Takewitha," she said politely as she opened the gate for Lily. "Mr. Smith is doing well, I hope?"  
  
"He's still looking for his son," Fleur replied in perfect English as she picked up Lily. "I think that the poor man is getting discouraged."  
  
Lily ignored the conversation and wrapped her arms around her mama's neck happily. Besides, she didn't like Walter Smith; he was creepy. She opened her eyes and blinked.  
  
The man was back, and this time with a huge black dog at his side. The man was once again looking into her eyes, but the dog seemed to be looking at Fleur.  
  
Lily put her fingers in her mouth and sucked on them, wondering who the man was.  
  
@  
  
End of Chapter One 


	2. Chapter Two

Voldemort's Amnesia Jewel Little Bird Chapter Two  
  
Fleur made sure Lily was secure in the back seat before getting into the passenger side seat in the front of the Ford crew cab. Nicole Takewitha was already in the driver's seat, revving up the engine. "Yah ought to lahn how to drive," Nicole muttered. "Yah can cahtainly afford it."  
  
"Buckle up," Fleur replied, taking her own advice. "I don't want you to go flying through the windshield if you have to stop fast."  
  
"'Buckle up'," Nicole mimicked sarcastically in a voice similar to that of Minni Mouse. "'I don' want yah to go flyin' through the windshield if yah have to stop fast'." She buckled up.  
  
Lily giggled. "Again!"  
  
Nicole proceeded to entertain Lily by making voices (Sonic the Hedgehog, Scooby-Doo, Johnny Bravo, and Sid the Sloth were only a few); Fleur looked out the window, feeling a slight touch of depression.  
  
She missed Severus Snape. God only knew why. He was a creep, sadistic, and not very open about his emotions. Maybe it was because he was honest.  
  
She had written to him every week for the past four years, just as she had promised him she would. Even after all this time, she set aside a few minutes to write to him. And he always wrote back, telling her what was happening with the threat of Voldemort in England.  
  
The last letter from him she had needed to read ten times before she had believed it. Voldemort was dead. Finally. Harry had utterly and completely destroyed him... but in doing so, destroyed himself.  
  
With the help of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, Harry had created a spell that would reduce the physical age of someone and, likewise, reduce their magical powers. He had used it on Voldemort until he was once again just seventeen, and then used Avada Kedavra... but something had gone wrong. Very wrong.  
  
Voldemort had tried Avada Kedavra at the same time. The two wands had connected like they did just after the Triwizard Tournament, creating an impenetrable opaque shield around the two. Whatever happened inside the shield was anyone's guess. When it disappeared, all that was left were two piles of ashes, each topped with a wand.  
  
Voldemort was at last gone... but so was Harry Potter.  
  
Fleur was both excited and sad. Excited, because Voldemort would never return now and Snape had said he'd come for her once the whole mess was over. Sad, because she had known Harry, and knew that no matter what he had done in his life, he didn't deserve death.  
  
"Earth to Fleuh. Come in, Fleuh."  
  
She blinked. Nicole had driven the truck into Fleur's driveway and was waiting for her to make a move. "I'm sorry; I was woolgathering."  
  
"So I figyahhed. I thought I could smell a sheep."  
  
Fleur unbuckled her seatbelt with a smile. "Thank you for the ride, Neecole. I appreciate it." She got out of the truck, opened the backdoor, and released Lily from her restrants. It never failed to amaze her how much her daughter looked like Snape; she had his black hair and his facial expressions, as well as his terribly nasty temper and tendency to hold grudges for extended periods of time.  
  
"I say again: get a lisence and then a cah."  
  
"I'll think about it, Neecole." Fleur held Lily in her arms and shut the truck door with her hip. Lily let go of her Barbie lunch box with her right hand and waved good-bye as Nicole drove off. "Would Lily like some pasta shells for supper?" Fleur asked her daughter.  
  
"Yay!"  
  
Fleur put Lily down and walked to the front door, pulling out her keys. "And for dessert, you can have some chocolate chip cookies that I made earlier today."  
  
Lily followed, practically bouncing with joy. Before Fleur could open the door, however, the door next to it opened, revealing Walter Smith.  
  
Fleur lived in the upper two stories of the house while Walter lived in the bottom story. The two apartments were not connected at all except by a staircase in the back, but even the doors leading in could be locked from the inside of the apartments.  
  
Fleur did not much like Walkter, but she felt sorry for him; it was only this one little fact that allowed her to tolerate him. He had moved in only a month ago, claiming that he was looking for his son, Tom. He was a chubby bald man who seemed very twitchy, as if he expected someone to put a knife to his throat any second. He always dressed in a black sweatshirt and blue jeans, complimented by brown leather hiking boots and a pair of thick white gloves. She once asked him why he wore the gloves; he'd gotten very nervous and told her had had burned his hands terribly in an accident.  
  
"Ah, Fleur!" he said, wringing his hands. "So nice to see you!" He smiled at Lily, who glared back. "And how is the little lady doing today?"  
  
Lily stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
"Lily, behave!" Fleur snapped at her daughter. She smiled at Walter. "Forgive her, she had a bad morning."  
  
Walter looked at Lily's knees, both of which were bandaged. "I see. That's all right. That's all right." Lily had discovered that morning why she wasn't supposed to run around the apartment.  
  
"Did you have any luck while looking for Tom today?"  
  
"No, no. Still missing. I'll find him, though. I'll find him." Walter chuckled nervously, as if a bit terrified at the idea. "I found him once before, didn't I? Took me a few years, but I did it. It shouldn't be long now." Fleur had a feeling that Tom belonged in jail.  
  
She nodded. "Of course." She opened the door to her apartment and pushed Lily inside. "I have to entertain Lily for the next four hours before I'm able to put her to bed. I wish you luck, Walter."  
  
"Thank you, my dear. Have a wonderful evening." He locked his door and strolled off, his eyes twitching every once in a while.  
  
Fleur shrugged and walked in. After locking the door behind her, she walked up the stairs and entered her living room. It wasn't sparkling clean, but it wasn't exactly a total and complete mess, either. Filch would have grudgingly approved of it. Fleur took a moment to fantasize his reaction if he saw Nicole's house. She burst out laughing.  
  
"What's funny, Mama?" Lily asked from the dining room. She poked her head around the door.  
  
"Nothing," Fleur replied, setting her purse on a lamptable.  
  
"May I play Sonic the Hedgehog?"  
  
"Sure, but only for an hour."  
  
@  
  
She watched with anger running through her veins as he walked down the street. Her tail lashed furiously; didn't the woman know what that creature was? The child knew; but then, she'd told the child.  
  
He was hunting again, and SHE was hunting HIM. He would pay for murdering her master.  
  
She'd had a successful capture this afternoon. The mouse made a perfect meal; she wouldn't have to beg the child for a scrap of food this evening. All the better.  
  
She didn't want to lose sight of her real prey.  
  
@  
  
Fleur sat in the kitchen, a glass of wine in her hand. She sipped it, slowly, savoring the taste. It was eight o'clock. Lily had been fed and put to bed an hour ago. Now was when the apartment was completely silent. Now was when Fleur spent time by herself.  
  
It was almost like a weekly ritual. Sunday night was spent writing a letter to Snape. Tuesday night was reserved for reading. Wednesday night was a "mature audience" movie night. Thursday night Fleur played Super Mario Bros. 3 just for something to do. Friday and Saturday night Fleur let Lily stay up two hours later so that they could do thing together.  
  
Monday night was the worst.  
  
Fleur spent Monday night sitting in the kitchen and drinking wine for a half-hour before sneaking into Lily's room to just look at her daughter as she slept. It was the night when Fleur allowed herself to dwell on the sad memories of her past. It was the only time she allowed herself to do so.  
  
Thinking it had been about a half-hour, she dumped the rest of the wine down the sink, then tiptoed upstairs and quietly opened Lily's door. In the dark of the room, Fleur stood by Lily's bed, gazing down at her as she slept. She was beautiful in her mother's eyes. Absolutely perfect.  
  
Someone knocked on the door.  
  
Fleur frowned. Who would be calling on her at this time of night? Making sure Lily was properly covered, Fleur left the room and closed the door behind her.  
  
Again, the person knocked, a bit more insistently this time.  
  
She grabbed her wand from the hall table on the second floor as she continued on her way to the front entrance. She peeked out a window, but only saw that the man at the door was wearing black. Preparing to curse him into oblivion if he turned out to be a troublemaker, she opened the door. Her jaw dropped as her wand fell to the floor.  
  
"Severus!"  
  
@  
  
End of Chapter Two 


	3. Chapter Three

A very little bit of French in this chapter. For translation, go to: babelfish.altavista.com  
  
Voldemort's Amnesia Jewel Little Bird Chapter Three  
  
The Day Before:  
  
Dumbledore had looked from Severus Snape to Sirius Black. "You know what you are to do."  
  
"Yes," they'd answered.  
  
Snape hadn't answered, but Black had. "We'll try our best, Headmaster, but I'm afraid we can't give you any guarantees."  
  
Dumbledore had handed Snape a note. "This is the address of the witch who lived in that town. She is one of the few there, and someone I'm sure will be glad to allow you to stay. I believe you two know her. A certain Fleur De'Lacour."  
  
Black had smiled. "Ah, yes, the lovely young woman that taught Defense Against the Dark Arts during Harry's fifth year."  
  
Snape had felt a thrill go down his spine. "Yes. Fleur..." and my daughter, he had thought. "It's been a while."  
  
It had been four years since he last saw Fleur. Oh, he'd gotten pictures of her, but it wasn't the same. And it didn't help to know that he had a daughter who didn't even know he existed. The pictures that Fleur had sent to him of little Lily never ceased to amaze him; his offspring definitely got her looks from his side of the family. He'd never met the child, but he had always wanted to know her.  
  
Now he had the chance.  
  
Snape and Black were to head to Haverhill, Massachusetts in the United States on orders from Dumbledore. However, Haverhill had the least amount of witches and wizards in the world, which meant that Snape and Black had to dress like Muggles, like it or not. It wouldn't have been so bad if Dumbledore hadn't insisted that they (both from wizarding families) went clothing shopping with someone Muggle born: Hermione Granger.  
  
Black hadn't cared what Hermione picked out for him, but Snape told her in no uncertain terms that he'd kill her if she tried to get him in anything other than solid black. So, while Black had left the store with a rather wide selection of pants, shirts, and socks ranging from red to lilac, Snape had left with a bunch of black turtlenecks, black pants, and black socks... complimented with a pair of black leather boots and a black leather jacket that Hermione had somehow talked him into getting.  
  
All in all, he had looked in the mirror and thought that he wouldn't look out of place on a motorcycle.  
  
Nonetheless, he rather liked the effect of the Muggle clothing. So had Hermione. She'd sputtered and turned red when she saw him in one of the outfits he'd picked. "Professor," she'd squeaked, not at all sounding like her usual know-it-all self (thankfully), "you... you look... damn good!"  
  
He'd looked down at himself. Black denim jeans, black cotton turtleneck, and the leather jacket covered him from neck to toe, similar to his robes. Unlike his robes, however, the outfit didn't hide the fact that he was in shape. "You think?"  
  
Even Black had looked impressed. "If you'd worn that to school, Snape," he had said with a smirk, "you'd have gotten a lot more girlfriends."  
  
Snape had only just barely managed to keep himself from murdering Black right then and there.  
  
Present Time:  
  
He'd dreamed of this day, when he'd finally be able to be with Fleur again. Now, here he was, standing on her doorstep and looking at every inch of her. She hadn't changed one bit. He had purposely worn the outfit that had impressed Hermione and that damnable Black, mostly because it was comfortable, but also to see if Fleur approved; if she did, he'd wear it more often. From the way her eyes examined him with interest, he assumed she did.  
  
"May I come in, Fleur?" he asked quietly.  
  
She noticed the suitcase behind him and smiled slightly. She seemed pleased. "Sure, but try to be quiet."  
  
Only a few minutes later, they were in her kitchen, trying not to touch each other but desperately wanting to, if only to make sure this wasn't a dream. The clock above the refrigerator ticked in the silence. He leaned against the wall and raised an eyebrow at her. "Where is she?" he asked finally.  
  
"Upstairs. In bed."  
  
"Can I see her? In the morning, I mean."  
  
"You can see her now. She's a heavy sleeper."  
  
"I'm sure I could, but I want to be able to talk to her."  
  
"Do you want to tell her?"  
  
"Not now. Maybe later, when I get to know her better." He took a deep breath. She wasn't going to ask, so he might as well do so. "May I hold you? Now?"  
  
He didn't have to ask twice; she practically threw herself into his arms, wrapping hers around his neck. He held her close to him with his right arm, running the fingers of his left hand through her hair. "I missed you, Severus," she whispered to him.  
  
"I missed you, too, Fleur." He kissed the top of her head.  
  
She pulled herself out of his embrace, but then took his left hand and rubbed her cheek against his palm. She smiled at him. "You've no idea how much I've dreamed of this."  
  
He smiled back. "Probably about as much as I have. I just noticed... your accent is gone." Pity. He'd liked it.  
  
She shrugged. "Neecole insisted on giving me lessons in pronouncing things. Ironic, considering HER accent, no?" She ran her hand down his left forearm lovingly.  
  
He snatched his arm away reflexively, breathing deeply to control the sudden pain. "Sorry," he apologized at her look of shock. "It's a bit... tender there."  
  
She frowned, then grabbed his hand again. She pulled up his shirtsleeve, revealing the tripled bandage wrapped around his forearm. Blood was blossoming on the white gauze. "Sit down," she ordered, still holding his arm. She pulled her wand out of her pocket and waved it, conjuring a piece of leather. "Put this in your mouth and bite down hard." He did so. "Now, instead of shouting with pain, I want you to bite down on the leather. Alright?" He nodded.  
  
By the time she was done ripping off the bandages, he was surprised that he hadn't bitten clear through the damn leather. He didn't look as she studied the wound. He knew what he'd see if he did: the skin had been skillfully removed from his forearm, conveniently removing the Dark Mark with it, leaving a very painful (and bloody) wound.  
  
When she reached for her wand again, he stopped her. "Don't," he said, taking the leather from his mouth. "If you heal it magically, the Dark Mark comes back as well. I have to let it heal the long way to see if that works."  
  
She nodded. "Do not move. I will be right back." She left the kitchen, went through the dining room to the living room, and disappeared up another flight of stairs. While she was gone, he looked around, holding his arm up and trying not to let blood drip to the floor.  
  
Besides the dining room door, there were three other doors leading out of the kitchen. One was opposite the dining room door, and he guessed it let outside since it was the only one that had a lock on it. The wall to the right of the outside had two windows in it, one on either side of the fridge. There was a counter pressed to the wall from the right side of the fridge to the left of the dining room door. The last wall had the other two doors in it; one led to what looked like a combination pantry and laundry room, the other appeared to be a bedroom.  
  
Fleur finally came back, more bandages and a large bottle clutched in her hands. "Come to the sink," she commanded, waking to it and setting her burdens down. He did so; she told him to hold his arm over the sink while she opened the large bottle. "How did this happen?" she asked, pouring a clear liquid over the wound. Everywhere it touched blood, it began to fizz and sting.  
  
"I had Black sharpen a knife so it had a paper thin edge, then knock me out. He then used the knife to remove the skin that the Dark Mark was on while I was out cold, making sure that no sign of it would be left. He tried to heal it, but when he did, the Mark came back. I have to let it heal normally and hope that the Dark Mark will not come back with it."  
  
"Black? Sirius Black?" She whipped a towel out of a drawer and proceeded to pat dry his arm, except where the wound was.  
  
"Yes. Him." He practically spat out the words.  
  
"When?" She began wrapping the bandages around his arm. The wound had finally stopped bleeding. He looked at the bottle with surprise, noting that it was labeled Hydrogen Peroxide. He had to look into the formula of that potion.  
  
"Earlier today. He didn't seem so loath to have to do it twice." He thought for a moment. "Actually, he seemed to like the idea."  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"Waiting outside in his mongrel form for one of us to go out and call him in."  
  
She finished her work, pulled down his sleeve gently, and glared at him. "And when were you planning on telling me about him?"  
  
"Well, I have the delightful idea of telling you in the morning...." He shut his mouth at her look. If he wasn't careful, he'd have to deal with her claws. Literally.  
  
"Why is he waiting outside in the first place?"  
  
He looked her in the eyes and sighed. "The thing is, Fleur, I'm here on business, and Black is supposed to be helping me. I wanted to see you for a while without him hanging around. 'Sides, he deserves to wait."  
  
Her eyes softened, but not much. "Oh, yes," she said softly to herself. "You my not be as cruel as before, but you are most certainly Severus." She kissed him on the cheek. "Sit down while I go call Black." She gathered up her items and left again.  
  
You may not be as cruel as before, she had said. He frowned. Had he really changed that much after four years?  
  
When she returned, Black trailing after her (human again), Snape had seated himself near the back door. She went about making a pot of tea, stopped, and looked over shoulder from one to the other. "Take of your coats and stay awhile," she said sarcastically. They did so. "So, why are you here?"  
  
Black, who was dressed in a yellow plaid flannel shirt, blue jeans, and white sneakers answered her. "You've heard what happened to Voldemort and Harry."  
  
"Yes. Everyone in the wizarding world knows by now. They're dead."  
  
"Yes... and no. One of them is still alive, we're just not sure who."  
  
She whirled in surprise. "WHAT? But... but there were two piles of ashes! Human ashes!"  
  
"No. There was only one. One of them was killed and then incinerated. The other was sent magically to somewhere within this town. We just don't know whom."  
  
The teakettle she held slipped from her fingers and crashed to the floor, spilling water everywhere. "Voldemort pourrait encore être vivant?!"  
  
@  
  
End of Chapter Three 


	4. Chapter Four

Voldemort's Amnesia Jewel Little Bird Chapter Four  
  
Fleur was definitely not Black's type. She was a bit too... unemotional most of the time. That unnerved him, though it seemed to suit Snape just fine.  
  
Last night, she'd told them they could stay at her place, but that they had to flip a coin for the only spare bedroom (right off the kitchen) and to be quiet about it because she was going to bed. Since neither of them knew what she meant by "flip a coin," they waited until her bedroom door had closed, pulled out a Galleon, each picked a side, and tossed it.  
  
Black won; Snape might have hexed him into next week if Black hadn't reminded them that Dumbledore told them to get along.  
  
Being right next to the kitchen had its advantages; Black woke up to the smell of bacon and waffles. This hastened him out of bed and through a quick shower (the bathroom was right off from the dining room), and to the kitchen table as fast as he could go. Ever since he'd left Azkaban, he'd been ravenous.  
  
He was halfway through his second waffle and third helping of bacon when Snape finally made an official appearance. While Black had put on a blue sweatshirt and khaki trousers, Snape wore almost they same thing as he did the day before, except that his turtleneck was made of wool and his pants were made of leather (all in black).  
  
Black had to admit that it made Snape look intimidating. Not that he never had to Black's knowledge at any rate.  
  
Fleur was as annoying as a house-elf, but Black didn't mind much. Dumbledore had mentioned something about a young child, so Black figured she was just used to doing this sort of thing. "Would you like some more coffee, Black?"  
  
"Yes, please," he replied, holding out his mug. "This is excellent coffee."  
  
"Yes, Neecole taught me how to make it the America way," she chirped as she filled his mug. "What about you, Severus?"  
  
Wait, Black thought. Since when have she and Snape been on a first nape basis? Oh, right. She was a teacher suring Harry's fifth year.  
  
"Thank you, I'll pour it myself." Snape did so as Fleur took another waffle from the waffle iron and poured more batter on the Muggle contraption. Black continued to wolf down his food, half-expecting Snape to make a rude comment.  
  
It wasn't long in coming. "Hungry, mutt?"  
  
Black's response was a glare; he couldn't say anything since his mouth was full. Snape just smiled and took a sip of his coffee.  
  
The two of them looked up as something pattered down the stairs, through the living room and dining room, and into the kitchen. The little girl stopped when she saw them. Her eyes passed over Black with no emotion, but her face clearly revealed that she recognized Snape. As she stared at him, he smiled (Black nearly choked on his bacon; the smile was actually NICE) and wiggled his fingers at her. She wiggled her fingers back.  
  
Black remembered where he'd seen her before. Snape had wanted to watch some children at a playground in a nearby town called Methuen, and this child had been the only one that had seen them.  
  
At the moment, her shoulder length black hair was messy from not being brushed yet. She wore a pink nightshirt that went past her knees and held a stuffed Pegasus with rainbow colored hair under her arm. She turned to look at Fleur. "Mama?"  
  
Fleur looked over her shoulder at her daughter and smiled. "Lily, these men will be staying with us for a while. Why don't you introduce yourself to them?"  
  
Lily turned back to them an curtsied, as if her nightshirt were a dress. "Hello, I'm Lily De'Lacour," she chirped politely. She looked from Black to Snape. "Who ah you?"  
  
"I'm Sirius Black." She had a Boston accent: she said "ah" instead of "ar." Black, personally, had always found that amusing. "And that scary thing," he pointed at his nemesis, "is called Severus Snape. He's more evil than he looks."  
  
To his surprise, Snape only smiled. "Whereas Black has a habit of barking his head off too much."  
  
Lily blinked, then giggled happily. She pointed at Black. "You was the dog!"  
  
"Smart girl!" He complimented. She hugged her Pegasus and smiled at him. "Yes, I was the dog."  
  
"What's this?" Fleur asked with curiosity, setting a place on the table for Lily. "How does she know you can transform into a dog?"  
  
"We had a chance to watch her on the playground yesterday," Snape replied as Lily climbed into her seat. "Isn't that right, Lily?"  
  
She nodded. "Yup!" She looked from him to Black. "You two is magic, right? Like Mama?"  
  
Black beamed at her. "That's right! You're really ARE an intelligent little girl." Just to tease Fleur, he added, "You must get that from your father."  
  
Fleur looked murderous as Snape snickered into his coffee mug. Black wondered at that; since when had Snape started laughing to HIS jokes?  
  
"I don't have a daddy," Lily said with a bit of a scowl.  
  
Snape looked like he wanted to say something to the child, but Fleur managed to prevent that. "Eat your breakfast, Lily." She quickly plopped a waffle on the child's plate. "Then go upstairs and get dressed; your Aunt Neecole will be here any minute to take you to school." She noticed that Black's plate was empty again. "Would you like another waffle, Black?"  
  
"Yes, please," he said, holding out his plate.  
  
"What about you, Severus?"  
  
"No, thank you. I'll just take some bacon."  
  
As Lily ate her waffle, Black noticed that Snape was watching her with an odd expression; the Potions Master seemed pleased about something. Every time Lily looked up at him, Snape either grinned or raised an eyebrow at her; either one made the girl smile back.  
  
After Lily had finished and scampered back upstairs to get dressed, the front door opened and closed. Before long a young woman with dirty blond hair had entered the room, whistling and tossing a set of keys from hand to hand. Like Lily, she stopped when she saw Black and Snape.  
  
"Hello, hello," She said with interest, a smile curving her lips. "Stahtin' a new job without tellin' me, Fleuh?" Another one with a Boston accent, thicker than Lily's, however.  
  
Fleur scowled at her. "Very funny, Neecole."  
  
Nicole pointed at each of them as she said his name. "Sirius Black, mass murderah. Severus Snape, Potions Mastah. Am I right?"  
  
"Yes." Black raised an eyebrow at her. "And how would a someone like you know this?"  
  
"I'm a Squib, not a Muggle. Also, Fleuh's told me all about hah time in England."  
  
"Oh, great," he heard Snape mutter under his breath. "First Filch, now her."  
  
Nicole glared at him for a second as she took the seat Lily had vacated. Then she noticed breakfast. "Ooh! Waffles! My fave!" Like Black, he put one on her plate and began to wolf it down.  
  
Snape watched her for a moment before turning to look at Black. "I think we've found your other half, Black."  
  
Black just looked at him. "Tell me, do you spend half the day dreaming of ways to insult me?"  
  
"You've no idea."  
  
Nicole finished her waffle and slowly sipped her coffee. "So, what ah you two doin' he'ah?"  
  
"Looking for someone," Snape replied, not looking at her.  
  
"Who?" They didn't answer, so she did so for them. "You'ah lookin' for Harry or that What's-His-Name-Guy."  
  
"'What's-His-Name-Guy'," Snape muttered, running a hand over his eyes with vexation. "Oh, he would've LOVED that."  
  
"How would you know that?" Black snapped. Thoughts of mind reading went through his head.  
  
"Who else could yah be lookin' for? Sides, it didn't seem likely to me that they would both die. One of them's got to live."  
  
"True." Snape put down his mug. "Then you should also know that Voldemort might be running around using his Muggle name, Tom Riddle."  
  
Lily trotted back into the room, fully dressed, but her hair still unbrushed. Fleur frowned, whipped a comb from her pocket, and started combing her daughter's hair, much to the child's annoyance. Nicole got up, when to the fridge, and pulled out a pink lunchbox. On the way, she looked at Snape, glanced at Lily, rested her gaze back on him, and raised an eyebrow.  
  
Snape looked into her eyes then slowly nodded.  
  
Black got the impression that he was missing something.  
  
@  
  
End of Chapter Four 


	5. Chapter Five

Voldemort's Amnesia Jewel Little Bird Chapter Five  
  
Tom Riddle sat in the boarding house common room, playing with a Scrabble game. No one else was up yet, and he didn't feel like making anything for breakfast. He couldn't imagine why the people were being so accommodating for him. Maybe it was because his little accident with the car had hit the front page of the newspapers, and he was a sort of celebrity for surviving. After all, the car had been going at, what, 60 miles an hour?  
  
He had used the Scrabble letters to spell out "Tom Marvolo Riddle" and was rearranging them to see what words he could make from them. So far, all he could make was "I AM LORD."  
  
He looked at the leftover letters, scowling. He seemed to recall seeing something spelled with these letters, but every time he tried to grasp the elusive memory, it escaped.  
  
He was playing with the leftover letters (right handed since his left was still in the cast), trying out each letter as the first alphabetically in the forth word. At the moment, "R" started his word. His eyes kept falling back on the "V". He kept feeling that the "V" should start it.  
  
Having sat there for at least two hours trying to think of something, he sat back, frustrated. He grabbed the remaining letters, closed his eyes, and put them down randomly. When he opened them again, he felt a chill go down his spine.  
  
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT.  
  
Green light. Screams of terror and pain. Whispers of one who must not be called by his name. Followers... followers... Death Eaters. Evil, pure evil. Lust for power. Destruction of those who were not worthy.  
  
I AM LORD VOLDEMORT.  
  
It meant revenge. It meant terror, pain, death. THAT'S what this meant to Tom.  
  
"I am Lord Voldemort," he whispered. "Yes, I like that a lot better than dumb old Tom Riddle." He leaned back in his seat and laughed. "What a silly name! Why would anyone fear it?"  
  
@  
  
"I'm coming for you, my Lord," Peter Pettigrew said to himself as he walked the streets of Haverhill. It was midmorning now, but that was alright. He could search for Voldemort better at night, anyway, as a rat. "You told me never to let my loyalty waver again, and I don't intend to let it. This time, when you reward me, there will be no Harry Potter to stop us."  
  
@  
  
She followed him until he returned, then sat on the doorstep of the house directly across the street. It was now Tuesday, which meant that she'd ask the child again to let her inside on Friday night. Once the woman saw her, she was sure she'd be allowed to stay. Especially now that Snape was there. She was sure he wouldn't want her to get loose again.  
  
The man had been hunting again last night as he had for the past month, but as of yet, he had not succeeded in finding what he had been looking for. She knew he wouldn't find it. She already had, and she wouldn't let HIM do so. She had enough magic to do that now that she was once again bonded.  
  
@  
  
End of Chapter Five 


	6. Chapter Six

Voldemort's Amnesia Jewel Little Bird Chapter Six  
  
After Nicole had left, taking Lily with her, Fleur pulled out her mapbook. "I am really not the one to help you look around," she said, opening it to the Haverhill page as she brought it over to Snape and Black. "You might want to wait until Neecole gets back; she knows this place like the back of her hand."  
  
"Doesn't she work?" Snape asked casually, taking the book from her hands.  
  
"She is an inspector of Muggle factories. There are certain days she has to work, but mostly she only needs to do so when she feels like it. Surprise visits, you know. She gets paid rather well for it."  
  
Black took the book from Snape and looked at the map carefully. Snape looked as if he was resisting the urge to snatch it back and slam it down over the Animagus' head. He instead turned his attention back to Fleur. "What about you?"  
  
"I do not need to work, but I go out occasionally with Neecole to do certain things, or go to parties, or to cross the street so that I can type up the stories of the romance novel writer." Sounds of piano playing from across the street came to her ears. "Speaking of which... could you excuse me for a moment?" She walked over to one of the windows that faced the street, opened it, and stuck her head out. Sure enough, there was Julie K. Wyrtah, banging away on her out-of-tune Upright piano, playing a rather mistake ridden version of "Phantom of the Opera." The notes were heard exceptionally well, probably because Julie's piano was right next to the eternally open window.  
  
"HEY, WYRTAH!" Fleur screeched at the top of her lungs. "YOUR PIANO PLAYING SUCKS!!!!"  
  
Julie stopped playing long enough to stick her own head out the window and shouted back, "FUCK YOU, DE'LACOUR!!!!"  
  
Feeling happier, Fleur pulled herself back inside and closed the window as Julie wnet back to her piano playing. Fleur turned and nearly burst into hysterical giggles. Both Snape and Black were looking at her in a way that clearly said they both thought she had lost her mind. "That's my way of greeting the novelist every morning," she explained with a grin. "We're actually quite civil to each other the rest of the time."  
  
Snape smirked as Black shrugged and went back to the map book, saying, "I'll take your word for it."  
  
"How long will it be until Nicole returns?" Snape asked.  
  
"About an hour."  
  
@  
  
Lily watched as her Aunt Nicole drove away. She barely noticed as Sister Jacki herded her into the nursery school. She'd felt something when she saw the man in black sitting at the table when she came downstairs for breakfast. What had she felt? Surprise? Horror?  
  
No, wait... she'd felt happy.  
  
Now why would that be?  
  
@  
  
Nicole tossed her keys back and forth in her hands, biting her bottom lip. "Now, these two charactahs each have their own little quahks, places they would prefah to han' around in. Because of this, we must decide who we'ah to look foah befoah we leave, and then look in the places he's likely to go. So, who do yah wish to look for first?"  
  
Black looked very much as if he wanted to say, "Harry", but Snape beat him to it. "Voldemort, He's more dangerous."  
  
"Alright, then. Where is he most likely to be?"  
  
Black and Fleur looked at Snape expectantly. He sighed. "He's most likely going to be in the seedier part of town. Pubs, brothels, places where drugs are sold, that type of thing. Those are the places where Muggles can be killed and no one would notice for a while, or even care."  
  
Nicole looked at Fleur. "Pubs and brothels?"  
  
Fleur rolled her eyes. Already it had begun. Though everyone in the room technically spoke English, Nicole had spent her whole like in Haverhill, whereas Snape and Black had grown up in England and spoke quite a bit differently. "Bars and whore-houses, Neecole."  
  
"Oh." She shrugged. "Alright. Fleuh, if yah want, yah can stay he'ah and clean up the place while I take these guys downtown."  
  
Fleur grinned evilly. "You'd trust yourself to two men you don't even know?"  
  
"They don't know me, either, nor do they know what I could do to them if they tried anythin'."  
  
"I just love it when people talk as if I'm not in the room," Snape said sarcastically, staring at the ceiling.  
  
Black gave him a look before turning back to Fleur. "I'm sure I'll get along just fine with Miss, uh...."  
  
"Takewitha."  
  
"Take-With-A." He made a face. "I can't say the same for Snape, though...."  
  
If looks could kill, Black would be VERY dead, as Snape's look gave a new meaning to the word "murderous."  
  
@  
  
End of Chapter Six 


	7. Chapter Seven

Voldemort's Amnesia Jewel Little Bird Chapter Seven  
  
They'd spent the whole day searching for Voldemort (or Tom Riddle), Snape using Harry's Invisibility Cloak, Black running around as a dog, and Nicole attacking likely people and trying to beat information out of them. No one had even heard of a Tom Riddle, let alone met, and anyone that knew the name Voldemort turned out to be nothing more than a Squib gone drunk or drug-high. All in all, it was a rather miserable day, and all three of them were pretty touchy when they got back to Fleur's apartment.  
  
As they pulled into the driveway, Nicole looked at the time and spat out a dirty word Snape hadn't even realized existed. "Oh, Fleuh's goin' to LOVE this! I forgot to pick up Lily!"  
  
"Then why is the kid running up to the truck with her mother behind her?" Black asked.  
  
Snape rolled down his window as Fleur approached, little Lily bouncing happily in front of her. "Hello," the blond woman said with a smile as she leaned against the truck door. "I rather figured you'd forget about Lily, so I talked Julie into taking me to the nursery to pick her up." As the three of them got out of the vehicle, Fleur walked over to Lily and picked her up. "I rather think I will get a license an a car now, Neecole."  
  
"Do yah mean to tell me," Nicole snapped, "that Julie drove that hunk'a'junk to Methuen and back again?!"  
  
Snape looked where the woman pointed with curiosity. "Hunk of junk" was an understatement. Whatever color the car HAD been, it was now a sad combination of road-grime-grey and rust-red. It also seemed that it was being held together by one too many screws and staples, as well as a ton of duct tape. He could understand why Nicole wouldn't care for the idea of Fleur driving around in it; it honestly looked like it would fall apart if someone leaned on it.  
  
"Shall we go inside?" Fleur said happily, ignoring Nicole's question. "I'm sure you three are hungry." She deftly handed Lily to Snape as she walked back towards the front door, pulling a key from her pocket.  
  
"Hello, Mistah Snape," Lily chirped as Snape held her rather uncertainly. Despite her small size, she was heavy. "Mommy says she knew you when you were a teachah."  
  
"Yes; that was a while ago, though." Since Nicole did not seem keen to rescue him from the child and Black hadn't noticed (they were both heading to the front door after Fleur, no doubt thinking with their stomachs), he rolled his eyes and carried the child with him as he followed after.  
  
"Mommy told me that you seem a bit saddah than you were."  
  
He sighed. "Not sad, just tired. Tired of one too many things gone wrong in my life." First he lost Lily, which was bad enough, but to lose his only friend.... "I had a good friend that... well, I was working for someone I really didn't like, and he hurt my friend, very much."  
  
Lily sighed as he climbed the steps up the porch. "I don't have no friends. No one at school likes me. They all call me names when Sistah Jackie isn't lookin'."  
  
He felt a touch of sympathy for his daughter. Although the others were already inside, he felt like standing on the porch for a while. He didn't need Black to see him like this, not cruel or sadistic, just... tired of everything. "I didn't have any friends when I was little, either. Don't worry, though; I'm sure you'll find someone who will always be your friend, no matter what."  
  
"Did you?" Lily didn't seem to want to go inside, either. It was a warm fall day, unusual in Massachusetts if what Nicole had said earlier was true.  
  
"Yes. His name was Filch, and he had a cat called Mrs. Norris."  
  
"Will he visit you?"  
  
Tired. Tired of the whole situation. "He can't. He'd dead, and his cat has disappeared."  
  
It felt good to be there, holding little innocent Lily in his arms. He was content to just stand there with her on that warm autumn evening, taking comfort in her unconditional acceptance of him.  
  
@  
  
"Where wah you two?" Nicole asked as Lily bounded into the room, followed by a self-composed Snape.  
  
"We was talkin'," Lily said simply, sitting in her place and waiting patiently as Fleur put mashed potatoes, peas, and a piece of steak in her plate.  
  
As Snape sat down in his own chair (it appeared that Fleur had pulled two more chairs out from somewhere and pushed them up to the kitchen table), Lily gave him a look that clearly said she was going to keep her mouth shut when it came to their conversation outside.  
  
He successfully managed to serve himself before Fleur could do it for him. If there was one thing that had always rather annoyed him, it had been the fact that he couldn't serve himself at Hogwarts. If he didn't know better, he couldn't sworn the house-elves were trying to give him a "healthier" size by serving him three or four times more food than a growing boy could eat in one day. Fleur seemed to be of the same mind.  
  
Dinner was rather uneventful (unless you count the time when Snape and Black nearly started a rather vicious food fight, thankfully stopped by Fleur), and Nicole left immediately afterward, saying she had to call her parents. Lily disappeared upstairs to play what she called "video games" while Black and Snape told Fleur what they had found out.  
  
"Nothing?" Fleur asked with surprise.  
  
"Nothing." Black sighed and folded his arms on the tabletop. "Not a sign of Voldemort anywhere. No one had ever heard of a Tom Riddle, either."  
  
She sighed. "If either one of them were a U.S. citizen, you could file a Missing Person report, but they were both born in England." She rubbed her temples. "I don't know how I can help you. Why would Dumbledore send you to me if I can't do anything?"  
  
"I'm sure he has his reasons, Fleur," Snape told her. "Maybe you should get your mind off the situation for tonight. After all, it's really the job of Black and I to figure out who is alive and where in this town he is."  
  
"Yes, maybe I should. I'm going to go into my bedroom, read a book, then go to bed." She stood up. "Severus, could you keep an eye on Lily then make sure she is in bed by seven?" Before he could answer, she turned and left.  
  
Black and Snape looked at each other for a moment. "Why she would trust her child's sanity to YOU of all people is beyond me," Black said sarcastically.  
  
"Maybe she knows something about me that you don't," Snape replied, resisting the urge to shout. He got up. "I'm going to do as Fleur asked and keep an eye on the girl."  
  
"Not without me, you're not!" Black stood up as well. "Fleur may trust you, but I sure as hell don't. Harry has told me how you treated your students."  
  
"I'm not going to TEACH the child anything, just make sure she does what her mother wishes!" With that, Snape walked briskly out of the kitchen towards the stairs in the living room, hoping like hell that Black would not follow. He would NOT let that mongrel prevent him from having some time alone with his daughter!  
  
He went upstairs, noting that Filch would've been a bit impressed that Fleur could keep the place as tidy as she did with a very young child to take care of. At the top of the staircase was what he assumed was the family room on the right. On the left was a closed door with a piece of paper taped to it. On the paper was written in flowery letters, "Lily's Room."  
  
The family room was obviously on the highest floor in the building as the ceiling slanted on two sides, the roof being only a foot or so above it. It was a room painted a pale yellow... where there were walls to be painted, that is. Two doors were in the wall directly opposite of the staircase. One had another piece of paper taped to it ("Mama's Room") and the other was open to reveal a second bathroom. There was a rather tattered couch against that wall, and opposite it was a large TV (at least, that's what he assumed it was). There were a few beanbag chairs in the corners, but not really any other place to sit. So, he chose the couch.  
  
Lily was sitting on the floor in front of the TV, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she played her video game. She only glanced at him long enough to show that she knew he was there then continued with her game. She seemed to be pretty good at it.  
  
To his disgust, Snape saw Black come up the stairs, no more than a few seconds behind him. "MUST you follow me everywhere?" the Potions Master growled. "Or is that your canine instinct coming out?"  
  
"I told you why before," Black replied. "Weren't you listening?"  
  
"I was. I was hoping YOU weren't."  
  
Before Black could reply, Lily paused her game and glared at the two of them. Snape had the impression of looking in a mirror; she hadn't inherited that scowl from her mother. "Don't ahgue. Mama's sleepin'." With that, she got up and went into the bathroom.  
  
Black's face had gone completely slack with surprise. Apparently, he, too, had seen the similarity between Snape and Lily's scowls. As the bathroom door closed, Black looked at Snape. "She's your--"  
  
Snape flew out of his seat and clapped his hand over the Animagus' mouth before he could finish the sentence. "Yes, she's my daughter," Snape hissed quietly, so that Lily wouldn't hear, "but she's not to know for the moment. She's also part of the reason Fleur moved here in the first place; if Voldemort had found out I had a daughter, he would've used her against me."  
  
Black took Snape's hand from his mouth. "Oh, so you DO have a heart? There's something I didn't expect." Thankfully, he'd gotten the gist, and kept the volume of his voice low. Something seemed to occur to him as his eyes narrowed. "Is there any particular reason she's called 'Lily'? Or is that just my imagination?"  
  
Snape didn't reply, but he was sure his look said it all.  
  
"So... you fancied Lily." Black slowly nodded. "I thought it didn't seem like you to hold a childhood grudge against me after all these years. You hate me because you saw me as the reason she was killed."  
  
"I could never forgive you for that," Snape growled. "I never will. Think what you want of me, but I will always hate you for what you did."  
  
"She didn't even know you existed."  
  
"As long as she was happy, I didn't care." Black was once again wearing a slack look of shock. Snape felt a twinge of twisted pleasure.  
  
The sound of the toilet flushing reached their ears. Black glanced at the bathroom door, then looked back at Snape. "You'll probably want to be alone with her. If that's the case, I think I'll go to my room and go to bed early." He shrugged. "I'm tired anyway."  
  
It was all Snape could do not to help Black down the stairs by kicking him in his arrogant ass. The only thing that prevented him from doing so was Lily exiting the bathroom to continue playing her game.  
  
Snape watched her for a few moments before sitting on the floor next to her. "Is this game easy?" he asked. He might be better at it than Scrabble.  
  
@  
  
End of Chapter Seven 


	8. Chapter Eight

Voldemort's Amnesia Jewel Little Bird Chapter Eight  
  
This time they were going to try a slightly different strategy when it came to searching for their missing person (Black found himself hoping like crazy that it was Harry and not Voldemort). They were going to try the business part of town, since Nicole mentioned that Voldemort wasn't likely to have Muggle American cash on his person, and would need a job to survive, whether it was actual working or stealing. So, while Snape and Fleur searched inside the stores pretending to be a newlywed couple (keeping their eyes peeled for a thief, customer, or worker that looked like old Voldy), Black searched the alleys in his dog form (searching for a thief or worker), and Nicole drove around looking at the pedestrians and stopping to question anyone likely.  
  
There was a chance that what the four of them were doing was illegal, but then again, Black WAS illegal for all practical purposes, since he still hadn't been cleared of the charges against him. Since they were split up, they agreed to meet at 4 o'clock at the Haverhill Public Library (Nicole would have to stop searching at 2:30 in the afternoon anyway so that she could pick up Lily from school).  
  
As Black wandered down the allies, perking up his ears at any interesting whispered conversation and sniffing around, he couldn't help but wonder why Dumbledore would send them to Fleur. She couldn't help them at all.  
  
Sitting down for a moment to rest, he turned his mind to Snape. For all that he was a creep, Black couldn't help but notice that the Potions Master was being anything but nasty when it came to his offspring. He actually seemed to be trying to get close to her. THAT was a surprise.  
  
Then again, Black's mother had once told him that men could be very different when it came to their own children; Snape seemed to be proving that in Black's mind.  
  
Odd, though, what she'd said that morning....  
  
Earlier That Day:  
  
Lily had woken up extremely early, and the only other person up was Snape. Since he didn't know what to do with a child that early in the morning, he elected to play video games with her until Fleur awoke to keep her out of trouble. So, in the family room is where Black found them.  
  
"...and this makes him jump," Lily was explaining to Snape as Black topped the last step, "and if you hit this button twice really fast, it makes a shield that will destroy any bad thing that touches it." Since neither father nor daughter noticed him right away, Black studied them for a bit.  
  
The reason he probably hadn't noticed the resemblance between Snape and Lily right away was that Snape seemed to have a scowl pasted eternally on his face, while Lily seemed to be forever cheerful. Only when she scowled was her paternal side obvious.  
  
At the moment, the two of them were sitting on the floor next to each other, with Lily holding the game pad in her hands and showing Snape what buttons did what. The ironic thing was that Snape appeared to be completely engrossed in what the child had to tell him. If what Black had heard from Dumbledore was true, Snape was anything but an expert when it came to board games. Maybe he figured he'd be better at the video games.  
  
At that moment, Snape noticed that he and Lily weren't alone anymore. "Has the dog decided to stick his nose where it doesn't belong?" he asked sarcastically.  
  
Black ignored him, and quickly cast his mind out for a very different subject to distract Lily, who looked like she was about to ask what Snape meant. "Lily, who lives on the first floor?"  
  
"Walter Smith," she replied simply. Her look darkened; another Snape indeed. "I don't like him."  
  
"Really? Why's that?"  
  
"The lady cat told me he's bad. He says he's looking for his son; the cat told me he's hunting."  
  
Neither Black not Snape understood what she meant by that. Black assumed it was her imagination.  
  
Present Time:  
  
Black sighed and looked up at the sky. If he was judging the time correctly, it was just about 3:30 in the afternoon. Well then, he thought, time to head to the library.  
  
@  
  
End of Chapter Eight 


	9. Chapter Nine

Sorry it's taken so long for me to post up chapters. I just got a new job taking care of dogs, and you can't believe how tiring that can be, even if it's only for half a day. I'll try to post up chapters a bit faster.  
  
Voldemort's Amnesia Jewel Little Bird Chapter Nine  
  
Tom happily put the books on the shelf in order. Something told him he was used to order, to everything being neat and tidy. Well, it was helping him at the moment. He was amazed the Haverhill Public Library had hired him so quickly. Maybe it was because of his broken and bandaged arm and they felt sorry for him. Maybe it was because he made the front page and was a bit of a celebrity.  
  
Either way, he now had a job: putting all the children's books back in alphabetical order by author's last name (he discovered he rather enjoyed reading children's books; he'd found some books by someone named J.K. Rowling that looked interesting).  
  
He didn't mind. It gave him some time to talk to the children if they came up to him. Mostly, they wanted to know if his slit eyes were really contacts. Once in a while, though, they actually came for a book....  
  
Something tugged on his pant leg. "Hello up there!"  
  
He looked down at the little girl. She must've been about three. "Hello."  
  
She smiled. "My name is Lily. What's yours?"  
  
"Tom."  
  
"Can I call you Tommy?"  
  
"Sure." He blinked, wondering at the girl for a moment. "Was there something else you wanted? A book maybe?"  
  
"Are there any books about unicorns?"  
  
"Of course. Come with me." He led her to another shelf and pulled down a book. "Here you are."  
  
"Thank you!" She took the book then paused. "Your eyes are funny."  
  
Here it comes, he thought. The big question about my eyes.  
  
"Are you magic?"  
  
The absurdity of the question made him burst out laughing. Ah, hell, why not? He thought. She's just a child. "Of course I'm magic! I'm the greatest wizard that ever lived!"  
  
"I thought you were!" She hugged the book, no doubt pleased with herself. "Will you be my friend? I don't have any friends."  
  
"Sure, I'll be your friend."  
  
She giggled happily. "Mistah Snape was right!"  
  
Snape?  
  
A flash of cold black eyes, greasy black hair, billowing robes. A frigid, calculating look that hid one too many thoughts. A voice as arctic as ice.  
  
"I'll see you again, Tommy," Lily said. "I have to go back to Aunt Nicole, now. Mama should be here soon." With that, she turned and ran off.  
  
His eyes followed her. How odd; when she'd said "Snape" he'd immediately been filled with a terrible loathing, and another word had come to mind.  
  
Traitor.  
  
@  
  
End of Chapter Nine 


	10. Chapter Ten

Voldemort's Amnesia Jewel Little Bird Chapter Ten  
  
Fleur sat at a table near the fountain that stood in the middle of the Haverhill Public Library. Snape stood nearby, looking around the library, clearly a bit impressed. She understood how he felt; she'd been a bit flabbergasted when she first saw the library as well.  
  
There were two floors in the building; the first was practically covered in bookshelves, which in turn were nearly groaning under the weight of so many books, with only enough space every here and there for a table or a row of computers. In the center was a tall fountain carved from stone, with water constantly gushing from it, lending the whole atmosphere a soothing background. Near the fountain was a large spiral staircase leading towards the second floor, which was dedicated to nothing but children's books. And coming down the stairs at the moment....  
  
"Lily!" Fleur whispered, resisting the urge to screech. Nonetheless, her daughter heard her and came running. "What are you doing? Where is your aunt?" A look from Snape warned her that she was starting to change; in other words, becoming her bird form in anger. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.  
  
"I wanted a book," Lily replied sheepishly, holding the hardcover in her arms. "Aunt Nicole said she had to look into something."  
  
Fleur sighed, her anger dissipating. "What book?" She took it from Lily and raised an eyebrow. "Unicorns?"  
  
Lily nodded. "Yup! My new friend Tommy found it for me!" She looked up at Snape then held out her arms and smiled. "A hug!"  
  
Snape, startled, gave Fleur a look of total confusion.  
  
"Well, don't just stand there like an idiot," Fleur snapped at him. "Give her a hug!"  
  
Snape looked as if he wanted to reply, but instead picked up Lily and allowed her to hug him around the neck as he held her.  
  
About then, Black waltzed towards them. He raised an eyebrow at Snape but didn't comment. Thank God. "Any luck?" he asked Fleur.  
  
"No. And I'm ready to spit nails because of it. You?"  
  
"Not a thing. No strange deaths, either. I did hear something about a strange accident, though. Apparently, a young man appeared out of nowhere in front of a car and got hit. He lived, the result being a broken arm and temporary amnesia. I couldn't find out anything else about it, though. Right about then I had to avoid a dog-catcher."  
  
"Pity," Snape said with a smirk. "You might have found the love of your life in the pound. Then I wouldn't have to deal with you."  
  
"I don't know about you, Severus, but I'm attracted to full-blooded humans." Black grinned rather evilly. "I heard you go for birds, though."  
  
There might have been a murder scene in about five seconds if Nicole hadn't decided to join them just then. "I was lookin' in the newspapahs for the last month," she said. "Nothin' very unusual except a hit-n-run. The drivah was arrested, but the victim, one Tom Mahvolo Riddle, was put into the hospital as soon as possible and suhvived with a broken arm and amnesia. It was a big enough story to hit the front page."  
  
"I believe Black was telling us something similar," Snape said, "only he didn't have a name to go with the victim." He shifted Lily in his arms so that he could hold her more comfortably. "Did this Tom Riddle appear out of nowhere?"  
  
"Hollinone."  
  
He blinked then looked at Fleur. "Translation?"  
  
"That means you are right, Severus," she said with a sigh.  
  
Black pulled at his lip. "Do you think this means that Voldemort still might not remember who he is? I heard that he only got temporary amnesia."  
  
"If that's the case, you better hope we find him before he DOES remember," Snape snapped, unconsciously tightening his hold on Lily. "We'll have to stop him before he finds a counter-spell for the Age Reduction Curse that Harry used on him."  
  
Black's face fell. "If it's Voldemort we're looking for, then that means that Harry...." He couldn't finish.  
  
Fleur stood up and put a comforting hand on the Animagus' shoulder. "I'm sorry, Black."  
  
@  
  
End of Chapter Ten 


	11. Chapter Eleven

Forgive me everyone, for being so late with my updates. As I believe I said before, I've started my job, so I'm a bit tired by the end of the day. Not only that, I've hit that oh-so-wonderful bit of annoyance known as a writer's block. Nest time I update, it'll be quite some time after Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has come out. I'm sure you'll all want to read that before you continue on any other fan fiction. Sorry, but when the master performs, the amateur must know it's time to bow out for a while.  
  
Voldemort's Amnesia Jewel Little Bird Chapter Eleven  
  
Blood everywhere; on the floor, the walls, the windows, the body.  
  
On him.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"That traitor killed him."  
  
Eyes glassed over in death, unemotional. Mouth slightly open. Hair splayed out on the floor, dripping in blood. Fingers lax and curled slightly. Those were the only parts of the body unharmed.  
  
Filch was dead.  
  
"What did they do?"  
  
"They skinned him. Alive."  
  
A razor sharp knife was gently pressed to the skin and dragged down. Blood welled up from the cut. Filch ground his teeth and bore the pain. The knife was gently inserted between the skin and the muscle and carefully used to lift the skin off.  
  
And Snape could not help Filch, he had to stand there and watch.  
  
"Where's Mrs. Norris?"  
  
"She broke out of her cage and ran off."  
  
Or did she? The door was unlocked, not broken....  
  
As Filch lay there, bleeding to death, the skin of his body ripped off and laying in sheets next to him, the Death Eaters left, Voldemort watching.  
  
Please may no one be wearing an Invisibility Cloak.  
  
Snape had hidden in the shadows, wanting to help Filch but knowing it would be too late by the time he got to his friend. Voldemort was still there, taunting the caretaker, taking no chances that he might live. Then he left.  
  
Filch died in Snape's arms.  
  
"There was nothing you could do."  
  
"I should've tried!"  
  
Snape had Apparated back to the Hogwarts grounds, his face a mask of combined horror and misery, Filch's body held gently in his arms. There was still blood dripping from it, soaking into his robes. Hagrid had found him standing at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, unnoticed tears streaking his face, clinging to the body like a lifeline.  
  
"Let him go, Severus."  
  
"No."  
  
@  
  
Snape sat up like a shot, shivering in a cold sweat and trying to shake off the remnants of the nightmare. Without thinking, acting on instinct, he curled up in a ball, hugging his knees, and wept. It was dark out, probably somewhere near midnight, maybe a little later. He didn't really care; all he knew was that he could sit here and mourn in peace without Black seeing.  
  
He'd failed again. First Lily, now Filch.  
  
Snape never even realized how good a friend Filch was until that cursed night, not even realized he WAS a friend. All he'd known was that the caretaker had accepted everything about him without question, and the only person besides Dumbledore that trusted him. Snape had valued that, but unwittingly took it for granted as well.  
  
Now Filch was gone. Permanently.  
  
"Severus?"  
  
He looked up, surprised, too miserable to even be properly angry. Not that it would have mattered. It was Fleur, and the second she saw his face, she swept over to him and pulled him into her arms, resting his head against her shoulder as he wept, comforting him. He'd forgotten how good that felt.  
  
As his tears stopped falling and his suppressed sobs became nothing more than heavy breathing, Fleur ran her fingers through his hair, around his ear, under his chin, lifted his face, and gently kissed his forehead. "I knew something was wrong. You've changed, Severus."  
  
"Filch is dead," he said shortly, looking straight into her eyes. He knew he could trust her. She'd never breath a word of this to anyone. "The Death Eaters got a hold of him and murdered him because he wasn't a true wizard. And I... I was there, with them at the time. I wanted to help him, to stop them, but I couldn't. There was nothing I could do without getting us both killed. He knew it; his look told me not to help him, but I wanted to, I needed to." He pulled away from her and covered his face with his hands. "I hate myself."  
  
She didn't reply for a long while. "There are times when I hate myself for bringing Gabrielle back to my parents," she said softly. "If I had not, she would still be alive right now."  
  
"That's not the same."  
  
"No. But I found a kind of cure for that self-loathing. I'm sure it will work for you as well. Come." She got up, took his hand, and led him upstairs. He stopped stone cold when he realized she was leading him to Lily's room.  
  
"Why are we going there?"  
  
Fleur only looked at him, her expression closed. "I want you to see Lily."  
  
"I already have."  
  
"Not like this you haven't." She tugged on his hand, and he reluctantly followed.  
  
It was dark in Lily's room, but the moon showed in through the window, illuminating everything with a sort of mystical glow. Stuffed animals were piled in a toy chest at the foot of the bed, with the odd one lying abandoned on the floor. Fleur and Snape navigated through them, stopping at the side of the bed.  
  
Lily was fast asleep, her little fist next to her face, her body curled up slightly beneath the blankets. She looked so tiny, so helpless.  
  
So... beautiful.  
  
"It's hard to believe she's my daughter," he whispered. "She's too perfect to be mine."  
  
"I know. Just think, though: how can you be so hateful if you've helped to bring to life something as perfect as her?" Fleur smiled at him. "You can get closer. She sleeps like the dead."  
  
Snape found himself smiling a bit as he knelt down next to the bed and gently ran his hand over Lily's head. "I know. Didn't you send me an owl, stating with utter and complete surprise that she was sleeping the night through at two weeks old?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I can bet she'll be a right lazy little thing when she gets older."  
  
"Probably."  
  
He stood up, smiling a bit. "You're right. I do feel a bit better." He turned and suddenly pulled Fleur into his arms. She didn't resist. "Fleur... I don't want to leave you again."  
  
"Is that why you cut the Dark Mark off your arm? So that if Voldemort escaped being killed, he would not be able to find you?"  
  
"Yes. All I want is to make you happy, and I can't do that if I'm away from you. I want to be a father to Lily. It hurts me to think she's convinced she doesn't have a father."  
  
She clutched onto his arms. "I don't want you to go, either."  
  
"May I... stay with you? Tonight? I just... I don't think I can have nightmares if I'm with you...."  
  
She looked up at him, a smile playing on her lips. "What? No sex?"  
  
"Not tonight. I just want to be with you."  
  
"Severus... you can stay with me every night for the rest of your life. I promise."  
  
He never remembered how they made it into her room. All he did remember, before falling asleep that night, was that he was being held in her arms as they lay in the bed, both of them fully dressed, his head resting against her breasts, breathing in her sweet scent, and feeling utterly and completely safe. He smiled a bit. "I hope you like children, Fleur, because if I have my way, we're going to be having quite a few of them."  
  
He felt her chuckle rather than heard it. "Good night, Severus," she whispered against his hair. "And try to kick off your shoes before you fall asleep. I don't want footprints on the sheets."  
  
@  
  
End of Chapter Eleven 


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